Grassland or scrubland

Fire and rescue services deal frequently with rural fires, but during periods of hot, dry weather, small incidents have the potential to become much bigger wildfires.

Severe wildfires are included on the UK's National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies, they are a danger to life and can take a lot of fire service resources to extinguish. They can be unpredictable and spread very quickly, devastating areas environmentally and economically.

Follow our top tips to help prevent fires of this nature:

• avoid discarding cigarettes or matches while walking or driving through the countryside
• have barbecues in authorised areas and make sure it is cold before it is disposed of correctly
• be sure not leave barbecues or bonfires unattended
• avoid having campfires in the countryside
• use dirt or sand to put out bonfires when you leave 
• litter such as reflective cans and glass can start fires, so take your rubbish with you
• if you live close to woodland or fields do not burn off garden rubbish during hot weather
• report any evidence of illegal firesetting activity 

What to do if you discover a fire:

• if you need to move to a safe place and call the fire service on 999 immediately, provide as much detail as you can - size of fire, location and terrain
• don't tackle the fire
• if you haven't already, evacuate the area as soon as possible - these fires can spread fast